Too Much, Too Far

I think the Republicans may be going too far with the second Patriot Act bill. There are a shit-ton of libertarian-minded folk out here who found the Republicans the lesser of two evils the last time out. This is just the kind of thing to swing votes back to the Dems. All of the time in the blogosphere we hear accusations of libertarian bloggers supporting the right wing. This bill could be the end of those accusations.

It pisses me off that the Republicans are flaunting their successes by far over-reaching what the people have asked. In a lot of areas, I am conservative beyond what is acceptable in polite society. But when the Republicans seek to abolish privacy at any and all levels of society, it makes me want to look elsewhere for my elected leaders.

Earlier, I had planned to post a note saying that I respected the hell out of Senator Edwards for announcing his candidacy at a Confederate landmark, but that regardless I would never vote for him as I was supporting the Bush team. I'm not sure I can say that anymore.

The safety of the United States is tenuous on a day-to-day basis at a community level. Bombs will eventually explode here: here in Denver or here in Chicago or here in Louisville or here in Washington or here again in New York. We just cannot catch all of the bad guys. But as a whole, the United States is invincible on a global scale. And --- and this is the key --- that is not dependent upon who controls the House or the Senate or the White House or the Supreme Court.

The leaders we create and vet and elect are deserving (with a few limited exceptions) to lead this country. The checks and balances currently in place help to ensure that all of our leaders are ultimately on the same side. Some may emphasize things domestic over things international, and some may emphasize things international over things domestic, but none ignore either.

If it comes down to supporting a just war and an unjust domestic monitoring policy versus a weak foreign policy and a robust defense of individual rights, I will support minding my own business. The biggest problem though may be that both parties seek to screw us. Is now the time to get an ACLU card?

Jonathan 2/07/2003 10:57:00 PM